Veteran jockey Martin Pedroza walked into Bob Baffert’s barn a couple of weeks ago, prompting the Hall of Fame trainer to tell his 5-year-old son Bode, “Say hello to Martin.”

“That’s NOT Martin,” said Bode, who has grown fond of Martin Garcia, the 25-year-old jockey from Veracruz, Mexico who has evolved into Baffert’s main rider during the past year.

“The way he said it was so funny,” Baffert recalled. “He loves Martin Garcia.”

Bode Baffert may not be as familiar with Martin Pedroza as he is with Martin Garcia, but he’s going to be seeing a whole lot more of him if Pedroza and Baffert continue to click like they have for much of the year.

Pedroza suddenly is picking up a lot of live mounts from the Baffert barn when Garcia commits to another horse.

Since the two of them teamed up successfully on a maiden claimer named Red Door Drive in December at Hollywood Park, Baffert is winning at about a 25 percent clip when he uses Pedroza, who turned 45 Tuesday and has mounts today in seven of Del Mar’s 10 races as the seaside track begins its 71st season.

“When Martin Garcia got in with Baffert, (Garcia) wasn’t even in the top 10 but their success has been phenomenal,” said Richie Silverstein, Pedroza’s long-time agent. “They’re on fire together. A lot of times Baffert will run two horses in a race or he’ll run Martin Garcia out of town and his people are very comfortable with Martin Pedroza because you’re getting a similar style of riding.

“It’s just a matter of opportunity. (Baffert) has a lot of horses right now. A lot of times if he goes in with one, it’s going to be Martin Garcia, and if that horse is particularly live then the (Rafael) Bejaranos, the (Joel) Rosarios, the Tyler Bazes are looking for something that can beat that horse. Now if Bob runs two in there, Martin Pedroza is going to be here.

“With Pedroza, you’re going to get 110 percent and if we ride her back terrific, if we don’t that’s the boss’ choice. That’s up to Bob.”

Silverstein estimated if Pedroza had ridden a couple of Baffert’s horses that went to Garcia, the Baffert-Pedroza win percentage would be approaching 40 percent.

“I’ve had two horses who ran phenomenal seconds, and when they ran back Martin Garcia was on ’em,” Silverstein said. “There’s no hard feelings. It’s an understanding that we’re happy and fortunate to be in the spot that we’re in.”

For Baffert’s part, he likes the way Pedroza fits his horses.

“My horses, the way we work ’em and the way they run, he’s just got a good style with them,” he said. “He lets ’em run. I like riders who take a long nice hold of ’em.

“He’s like a lot of these riders. If you give them the opportunities, they’ll cash in for you. He’s a good rider. He’s been around here forever.”

It didn’t hurt Pedroza’s cause when talented riders such as Alex Solis, Michael Baze, Corey Nakatani, Jose Valdivia Jr. and David Cohen relocated and left a void in the Southland’s jockey colony. It also helps that Pedroza is eager to jump in and work horses at a moment’s notice.

“Four or five years ago, (Pedroza) worked all three race tracks on the same Monday,” Silverstein said. “We worked (trainer) John Sadler at Santa Anita at 6:30 (a.m.), Gary Mandella and Ruben Cardenas at Hollywood Park at about 7:30 or 7:45 and Julio Canani at 9:50 at Del Mar.

“Pedroza is not afraid to do something like that to get on the right horses.”

A work ethic like that is what helped lead to a career-defining moment at Hollywood Park on July 10 when Baffert gave Pedroza a leg up on E Z’s Gentleman, a 5-year-old who won the $250,000 Triple Bend Handicap to give Pedroza his 1,000th career victory at the track and his first career Grade I win at Hollypark.

“If you went to a movie in Hollywood and you saw a jock ride for 27 years, never won a Grade I at Hollywood Park, and then wins a Grade I for his 1,000th winner, you’d say this is hokey, it can’t happen in real life,” Silverstein said.

Baffert and Pedroza will team up once today in the seventh race with Mama Bouche, a 3-year-old maiden filly who ran third in her debut at 9-2 odds on June 5 at Hollywood Park with Pedroza aboard.

Del Mar’s opening-day feature, the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds at one mile on the turf, drew a field of 10, including the Baffert-trained Macias. The son of Purge will be ridden by Garcia.

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